Comments on: The Cost of Getting a Green Cardhttp://thebillfold.com/2014/07/the-cost-of-getting-a-green-card/
Everything About Money You Were Too Polite To AskTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:12:47 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.1By: Sanchit Gupta@facebookhttp://thebillfold.com/2014/07/the-cost-of-getting-a-green-card/#comment-157256
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]]>By: Aconitehttp://thebillfold.com/2014/07/the-cost-of-getting-a-green-card/#comment-155385
Wed, 06 Aug 2014 06:55:33 +0000http://thebillfold.com/?p=57333#comment-155385@Josh Michtom@facebook
So you’re saying you would get rid of categorised immigration (ie spouse visas, working visas, students etc – not what it’s called but I can’t think of a better way to put it!) and just have everyone work to remain in the country? As an idea I like it! But what about people who aren’t going to work – some spouses and all children? How do they stay in the country and how do you deal with the increased numbers in schools? Also, do you define government benefits as healthcare? Here in the UK we have a free healthcare system which IS overburdened by immigration – I am infinitely grateful for it, but anyone can see that it’s creaking along and barely enough for the people already here. Perhaps this isn’t a problem in the US, but here the issue isn’t so much people collecting cash benefits as it is too many people coming and using the healthcare system. Does your vision involve a free healthcare system? If it’s free then how do you support it?
Also, might the sudden huge influx at the START of a new regime like this not have negative consequences for all sorts of things in the country?
]]>By: bafhttp://thebillfold.com/2014/07/the-cost-of-getting-a-green-card/#comment-155283
Tue, 05 Aug 2014 20:06:29 +0000http://thebillfold.com/?p=57333#comment-155283I just got my Canadian Permanent Residency Card in December 2011, and I pretty much have the same story as J., whole process took 13 months (they had a back log unfortunately), and I think total costs were around $2500, and that include getting married. Getting the application together was a bit of pain, but I think having 5 years worth of vacation pictures, plus our wedding pictures, plus being from a “low-risk” immigration country helped with the process. I didn’t have to send anything back or confirm anything again with them! Not sure I would want to do it again, but it’s all over now. Citizenship next!
]]>By: Josh Michtom@facebookhttp://thebillfold.com/2014/07/the-cost-of-getting-a-green-card/#comment-155252
Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:08:16 +0000http://thebillfold.com/?p=57333#comment-155252@Aconite That’s a good question. Why not have open borders and substantially unlimited immigration, barring only, say, people with serious criminal records or communicable diseases, with the proviso that new immigrants would have to maintain employment for some decent portion of the next two years to remain legally. That way, everyone would be subject to the same wage and hour laws, so immigrants couldn’t beat natives for jobs on the basis of lower salaries and no benefits; immigrants would have an incentive not to work under the table because if they could work legitimately and prove it, they’d be eligible for continued legal status and accompanying government benefits. If economists are to be believed, immigration would naturally taper off once there were no more available jobs. No one would be collecting government benefits who hadn’t been working for a substantial part of the preceding years, so there wouldn’t be an imbalance between immigrants’ input to the economy and their drain on it (there isn’t now either, at least in the US, but I say this to address your concern).

What do you think? Have I solved the immigration problem or what?

]]>By: the new demographershttp://thebillfold.com/2014/07/the-cost-of-getting-a-green-card/#comment-155214
Tue, 05 Aug 2014 16:34:43 +0000http://thebillfold.com/?p=57333#comment-155214@garysixpack That’s simply not true. Being a “nonimmigrant” (in the U.S. on a non-permanent visa, with the government’s consent) is different from “being here illegally” (without the government’s consent). It is legally allowable to move from nonimmigrant to immigrant status while in-country; you seem to assume that there’s one “line” for non-natives to get residence in the U.S. that everyone has to wait in and that’s just not the case.
]]>By: garysixpackhttp://thebillfold.com/2014/07/the-cost-of-getting-a-green-card/#comment-154291
Sat, 02 Aug 2014 04:22:31 +0000http://thebillfold.com/?p=57333#comment-154291@Josh Michtom@facebook

For some people, the issue is being able to work and eat while waiting in lilinene.

If you are waiting for your green card or work permit, you are not a legal resident here. If you are nevertheless living here and waiting, then you are not here legally.

For other people, there is no line to jump because there is no possibility or getting legal status.

If you are living here without an official immigration status, then you are here illegally.

Depending on where you live, immigration can definitely get in the way of hiring someone you want. If you’re a STEM person in the DC area, immigration can *absolutely* be a huge factor in getting a job/hiring someone, because most of the STEM-related jobs involve government contracting somehow.

companies (mostly investment banks and the big consulting firms) wouldn’t pay the $10-20k extra to sponsor a visa while the person was awaiting permanent residency approval. To be fair, this was late 2008/early 2009 in primarily investment banking.

So? Like you said, it was 2008/2009. Lots of people (native, foreign, and otherwise) couldn’t find work.

However, my experience is that it companies do not want to sponsor a visa on the way to a green card if they can hire someone who is already a US citizen or permanent resident.

And this a bad thing? Don’t you want a company to hire an American, if one equally qualified can be found to do the job? Heck I’m pretty sure it’s even the law of the land. Tbh I think you are the first person to suggest affirmative action for non-resident aliens.

]]>By: avianbonesyndromehttp://thebillfold.com/2014/07/the-cost-of-getting-a-green-card/#comment-154102
Fri, 01 Aug 2014 18:59:04 +0000http://thebillfold.com/?p=57333#comment-154102@garysixpack “Immigration is an issue, but not really something that gets in the way of hiring someone we want.”

Depending on where you live, immigration can definitely get in the way of hiring someone you want. If you’re a STEM person in the DC area, immigration can *absolutely* be a huge factor in getting a job/hiring someone, because most of the STEM-related jobs involve government contracting somehow.